If you believe that your property may about to be vacant for a significant period of time, you may need to think about unoccupied property insurance. Compare what’s on offer before you buy though, to maximise your chances of finding the policy most suitable to your situation:

a standard landlords insurance policy provides cover based on the assumption that your property is tenanted;

different risks may be more prevalent when your property is vacant and these may require their own type of cover known as unoccupied property insurance;

with no one around to spot a small problem when it first happens, things might deteriorate resulting in more extensive and costly damage;

unlit windows, untidy gardens with rubbish accumulating and the grass left uncut, may be signals to thieves and vandals that they may be able to work undisturbed;

both owner-occupier and buy to let properties may be affected by the need for this type of cover;

the reasons that the property is unoccupied may typically not matter – you may be on an extended holiday or business trip for example or perhaps you are having problems finding tenants to move in;

the key factor is the length of time, as specified by your policy, that the property is unoccupied – this may vary by policy but may typically be around 30 days;

one feature of this type of vacant property insurance cover is that the terms and conditions may be very different to those which may apply for standard landlord buy to let insurance;

you may, for example, be required to visit your property regularly while it is unoccupied and arrange for normal maintenance to be carried out, as well as fix any problems or issues that you find;

keeping the garden tidy and rubbish free may also be required and you may be asked to drain down heating and water systems;

finally you may be asked to keep a log of visits made and the work carried out on each occasion;

so, if you think that you may need unoccupied property insurance, compare what’s on offer before you make a purchasing decision – it might make all the difference.